Previews

Halo 2 Multiplayer Hands-on

Vehicles were one of the things that helped make Halo's multiplayer so popular, and when combined with Halo's physics system, the vehicles provided some truly spectacular moments -- is there anyone who hasn't seen the amazing Warthog Jump video by now? The good news is that you can expect the same out of Halo 2. The driving controls feel like they've been tweaked a bit, but it's still essentially the same -- there's room for 3 players, and the Warthog in our map came equipped with a rocket launcher as the rear gun.

We also had a chance to see one of the new upgrades with the Ghost: boarding. If you get close enough to a Ghost in flight, you can actually kick the driver out and take it for yourself. We thought this looked pretty insane when we saw it in last year's single-player presentation, but in practice it works pretty simple: if you're standing right in front of or behind the Ghost, you can press the X button to try and execute the boarding move. If successful, you'll be treated to a satisfying animation of your character smacking the enemy out of the driver seat. Of course, getting too close to a Ghost isn't the best thing in the world, as it's all too easy to get run over.

The Ghost also features a new boost ability, giving you an extra burst of speed when needed. However, you lose the ability to fire while speeding along, so that's a tradeoff you may only want to make when there aren't any enemies around.

Sluggo: I thought there were two extremely cool things about the vehicles: the way both teams started finding new ways to use them, and the way they blew up. In the beginning, we'd rush in with the Warthog, only to get blown 8 miles high with an incoming rocket blast. And in Halo, that usually means everyone yelling "WHOA!!!" and cheering as the Warthog crashes to the ground - and now the vehicles break up into little pieces, so there's the satisfaction of seeing tires fly off and junk lying everywhere. After a while, though, teams would get crafty, laying back and pelting the base with rockets, and then scoot up and collect the flag carrier before anyone realized what was happening. I think we only began to scratch the surface of what you can do with vehicles on that map.

Justin: I've never been a big vehicle guy, to be honest, but the two ghosts and the warthog worked well in this level -- and incidentally, they were all at the disposal of the flag-retrieving team. Boarding is ingenious, but I suggest having a decoy before trying it; ghosts still pack a good punch. The warthog is the Goliath to the on-foot Davids, but it can be as deadly to its passengers than its intended victims.

Again, there are many strategies with vehicles. I preferred taking the gunner position on the warthog, and trying to take out the base's turrets. It's a good diversion for a teammate to sneak in and either grab the flag, or open the gate so the driver can park you right in front of the prize. I also spent a few rounds collecting frags in the courtyard on a speedy ghost, but it didn't do much to help my team win. The small size of Zanzibar means you won't be able to hit the open road in a vehicle, but their power and durability is definitely an asset.